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Races
The Middle Kingdom is a large Empire that includes a variety of races, although it's mostly contained and ringed in by barbarians. Barbarians to the north (Huns), barbarians to the west (occidentals), and barbarians to the south (Viet). The empire is dominated by humans, but some non-human races are in the mix. As always, the DM is the final arbiter of what is allowed in your game. Like the Occidental Empire to the far west, there are three types of races in Qin'ae. Dominate races, major races, and minor races. Dominate races are those who range over the land; their peoples forming into kingdoms, creeds, languages, and people. In Qin'ae, this includes the humans only. Major races are those with large populations enough to have their own culture, and have some effects on the politics of a nation. These include the elusive spirit folk (elves), Tengu, dragonborn, and dwarves. Minor races are those whose population is too small to have their own culture or can affect the politics of a nation. These often include the playful kitsune, the mischevious vanaras, the wretched nezumi, the exotic nagaji and wayangs, and the warlike ogres. Dominate Races Humans rule the might of the Middle Kingdom. They have a yellow cast to their skin, ranging from noticable yellow to pale porcelain white. Their eyes are slanted, unlike the European White human race to the far west. Eye color is typically brown, but can range from grey, to brown, to hazel, to the rarest color of all -- green. The clothes they wear is commonly made from hemp; but can be uncommonly made from silk. Humans originate on Lemurias, as these are the progeny of Sarah. The race of the Middle Kingdom has a different type cast to their mongoloid features; unlike the barbarians to the north or the Viet barbarians to the south. Major Races Long ago, the Dragon Gate opened and let loose a flurry of new races on to the planet. These include the elves, the dragonborn, and many, many other races that the people of the Middle Kingdom considered to be barbarian. The spirit folk are elves, but with a mongoloid appearance. They have banded together to form their own nation at one point, but the kingdom was destroyed during the Xia Dynasty and the Spirit Folk was forced to retreat into the deepest parts of the bamboo forests and isolated parts of the rivers and mountains. They, like their occidental kin, are looking to recreate Arvandor. However, spread amongst the bamboo forests, rivers, and mountains there is little to do to recreate Arvandor. The Dragonborn of the Middle Kingdom bear a striking disemblance to their occidental cousins. They look more like the oriental serpents called dragons; bearing more of a mamalian head than a serpentine or reptilian one. They also have hair and tend to be more brilliantly colored and are slimmer and thinner, with a wirery build (some still work out). The horns on their head range from actual horns to antlers. Dwarves live in the mountains. If they had any culture like their occidental cousins, it was all lost in the years that they came. They are considered barbarians, and live in the mountains. Occassionally, humans capture dwarves to play the part of a jester, because of their funny apparance. These dwarves have mongoloid features. Minor Races Spirit Folk (Half-Elves) are often caught between the worlds of their progenitor races, half-elves are a race of both grace and contradiction. Their dual heritage and natural gifts often create brilliant diplomats and peacemakers, but half-elves are often susceptible to an intense and even melancholic isolation, realizing that they are never truly part of elven or human society. The Kitsune are worshiped as part of the spirits of the land in most civilized lands. They are scattered about both Qin'ae and the Eastern Isles. They are said have strange powers to change themselves into humans and are said to be tricksters. The Vanara are monkey like beings from Aryavarta. They hold Sun Wongkong as their spiritual father, but they say they originated from eggs. It is believed that nagas created the nagaji as a race of servants and that the nagaji worship their creators as living gods. Due to their reptilian nature and strange mannerisms, these strange, scaly folk inspire fear and wonder in others not of their kind. They are resistant to both poison and mind-affecting magic. The nekojin or catfolk are believed to be humans or cats that were the result of polymorph magical experiments gone awry. A rare race, they appeared in the Far East during the beginning of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. In their own region live the tengu. The tengu seem to be crow humanoids who have a mastery in swordmanship or a mastery in roguishness. Either way, they attracted to shiny stuff like crows, and they tend to find such things valuable. During an auspicious Winter Solstice, the Wayangs came. They came when it was Darkness for Three Days over the Middle Kingdom, and when the light returned, they were stuck. Mistrusted and hated for their shadowy nature, the Wayangs keep to themselves in the cities and parts of the wilderness. Tieflings (Oni-Spawn) are the spawn of ogres. No one would mate with an ugly, destructive ogre or ogrekin and actually start a tiefling line. But it can happen. Category:Player's Guide Category:Races